Reviews by hellhammermario:

More User Reviews:

In order for me to give a perfect score in any category of a beer I have to be wowed and in awe of it and I gotta say I was both in the pour of this beer.Poured a rich deep bronze with a perfectly formed cremay one finger light tan head that has held thru the duration,just perfect color and definition and creaminess in the head.The aromas don't bring so much promise with some hardwood smoke and mild sweetness.That creamy head translates in the feel with a creamy coating feel,very nice.A nice mix of sweet caramel and anise flavors and more subtle upfront smoke,the smoke plays a larger role in the finish.Hey I love this hybrid,the smoke is somewhat assertive as is the doppelbock toasty sweetness and warming notes,I loved it!

Too much smoke IMO so I can easily say it was not balanced at least for me. Thankfully this is a big beer so it can take a few lumps, good to sip but there is no way I could see finishing this bottle off during a long session. Asking you to try it would be a dare if you are not into smoked beers, even if you are it might be a challenge.

Taste: smoky malt--maybe slight bacon--then this beer transforms into a dopplebock with huge caramel and toffee sweetness and light bark like hops

Mouthfeel: smoky goodness at first followed by a very sweet body and finish with light bitterness to take some sweet edge off, medium carbonation, medium-light bodied

Overall: This may be my favorite Sam Adams brew. This beer is a combination of two styles that really do not combine within the brew, but take separate turns at being excellent.The rauchbier aspect is dead on--similar to Aecht Scherlenkerla's Urbock--and the dopplebock that follows almost has more of a sweetness that I associate with an English barleywine. The alcohol is scarily barely noticeable. This one is right up there with the best I have had this year. I would not take this over Scherlenkerla's Urbock or Marzen, but for a cheaper US treat, I would stock this on a regular basis.

The beer pours a deep red color with a tan head. The aroma is definitely that of a smoked beer. I get a ton of meaty BBQ-like smoke, as well as a little bit of roasted malt. The flavor follows suit. There are a lot of burnt malts, as well as as good dose of smoke and a little bit of sweetness from the toffee or caramel malt. Still, this beer is all about the smoke and it definitely delivers on that front. I don't get any alcohol, which is surprising since the beer is nearly 10 percent. Medium, creamy mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Smells smokey, as expected. I also detect something that smells like beef jerky spices? Kind of odd, maybe it's just me.

I can taste the beef jerkyish flavor as well. Not very bitter at all. The sugars that compliment it are dark... remind me of molasses or something. Can definitely taste the alcohol. A bit of a metallic aftertaste.

Moderate carbonation, and surprisingly smooth. This is more drinkable than I expected.

My first encounter with a Rauchbier. It's intriguing, but the alcohol was a little overpowering and the metallicy aftertaste was a turnoff.

I admit a certain amount of trepidation, since rauchbiers are not one of my favorite styles. However, the aromas of Cinder Bock are quite pleasant, and while they do feature a good helping of the liquid smoke and campfire notes that I associate with the style, the nose is nicely balanced by dark sugars (fig, molasses) and dark breads (marble rye, toasted wheat crust). There's even a touch of vanilla and honey in there. Overall, I'm (at least so far) impressed by this brew, and while I do wish that the smokiness was a little more dampened, I don't find it as offputting as I do in other rauchbiers.

On the tongue, the beer starts off deep and smoky, the first tastes to hit the tongue much like the smoky part of, say, a smoked turkey, if you somehow removed the turkey. These flavors bring to mind campfires, charcoal brisquets, ash. A strong wave of sugars almost instantly joins, bringing caramel, fig, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla, as well as some orange and berry and helps to soften the smoky blow. More marble rye breads follow, and the beer has a distinct spicy, peppery quality, biting at the tongue. A tinge of vodka does mar the brew somewhat, the huge flavors still not quite capable of coping with the 9.4% ABV. And even through the sugars and breads, a wave of smoke rolls over everything, sometimes catalyzing, sometimes masking, as it does in the aftertaste, which reminds me strongly of drinking a sugary stout while sucking in a cloud of piney campfire smoke. The aftertaste does last for a long time. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, I like the beer, despite my problems with the style. The smoke notes here are still too strong for my tastes, but they are nicely balanced (except in the aftertaste) by lovely, sugary dark fruit esters, and for most of the mouthful neatly complement the brew. So well made is the beer that even subsequent mouthfuls don't lose their potency or nuance, assuring a smooth drink for the entire bottle. Worth trying.

Appearance: Pours a deep brownish ruby red with a tint of orange. Lots of rising bubbles and a huge four fingers of off white head with good retention. Lots of lacing sticking around the glass.

Smell: A fairly strong smell of smoke up front with hints of wood and smoked meats. Big presence of bready malts with lots of caramel and toffee. Also some hints of dark fruit, brown sugar, and faint earthy hops. Smells smoky and sweet.

Taste: Starts with a good taste of smoke that lingers throughout with a little taste of beef jerky and wood. Big bready taste with lightly roasted caramel malts and toffee. Hints of sugar/molasses and a little dark fruit. Also some hints of earthy hops to balance out the sweetness. Tastes a lot like a Dopplebock that is moderately smoked.

Mouthfeel: Body on the higher side of medium with a moderate level of carbonation. Creamy, somewhat sticky, and very smooth. A little alcohol heat is noticed but not much.

Overall: A pretty solid take on a Rauchbier. The smoke is very noticeable but not overwhelming and blends well with the malts.

Purchased a bottle (1 pint 6 fl.oz.) from Consumer Beverage in Lockport, NY. No freshness date but the back label says batch #1.

This is a really nice looking beer: pours a clear, really beautiful mahogany color with an off white just about tan head, that sticks along the glass and that persists nicely thoughout the beer's life.

The smell is predominately sweet malts: toffee and caramel with hints of light smoke way in the back.

The taste is big malt flavor up front: toffee, caramel, ripe banana. There is a quick drying from the higher alcohol level that is noticeable in the swallow. The smoke is right there on the back of the tongue and helps fight that malt sweetness.

The mouthfeel is medium to slightly full body with a little prickle from the carbonation and alcohol. A pretty different experience with this malty velvety texture followed by a quick drying smokey finish.

I like that Samuel Adams is experimenting with smoked malts and I hope they do more. I like their rauchbier and hope maybe they'll do a smoked porter. This beer is very well made, adventurous, and thoughtful beer. I would prefer more smoke malts and maybe less alcohol, but an enjoyable taste nonetheless.

A - Deep dark amber with 2 finger khaki head with good retention and lacing.

S - Smokey, savory honey, spice, and most of all BEEF JERKY!

T - Sweet honey at the start and progresses into one of the weirdest beer experiences ever. Tastes like drinking straight up beer jerky, I kid you not. Notes of smoked salmon, grassy hops, caramel, smoke. Just a touch of alcohol.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, chewy.

O - A strange beer but still enjoyable. I bet this will pair well with rich cheeses. Couldn't drink this on a regular basis, but would make a nice session beer in the middle of winter.

(Served in a dimple mug)
Batch #1
A- This beer pours a dense light caramel hued body with a raging carbonation of big bubbles supporting a rocky head of light tan.

S- The mellow cloth band aid aroma has some brown sweet malt notes to follow.

T- The big band aid and salty bacon flavored smoke taste stains the tongue with some slight sweetness in the finish taking on some salty sweet brown malt notes as it opens.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a gentle carbonation and no real alcohol

O- If I have to taste band aids this is the least offensive of the kinds but it grows stronger and stronger with each sip. I think there is a tasty beer in this bottle with nice hints of malt sweetness but it is well hidden in the loud salty bacon, band aid flavors. It was a bit to rough to finish.

The color is a medium-dark red edging toward brown but with a copper hue coming through in the light. Nearly two fingers of tan head show good retention and leave a tattered sheet of lace.
The nose is good if not a bit one-dimensional. Big malts mlay a strong foundation. Sitting on it are a big molasses sweetness and some smoke along with a sting of alcohol.
The flavor pulls out a little more. Malts remain strong and build from there. Smoke is a major element but far from overdone, and it adds a bit of a meaty element. Molasses is there as expected but also doesn't overtake the other flavors. It's a tasty, well-balanced doppelbock that is traditional but for the smoke.
Alcohol ends up being more of an issue in the feel than the flavor (where it's well masked), not quite going so far as to impart astrincency but close enough to detract. Otherwise thos doppel has a pretty big body with some smoothness to it, and depth is no issue.